How Tours Support Sustainable and Responsible Tourism

With the end of the year fast approaching, it's a good opportunity for reflection. It's a time for setting goals and reassessing values across all aspects of life, including travel. And if you're looking for ways to adopt more sustainable travel habits in 2026, you've come to the right place!

Earlier this year, the World Economic Forum’s “Future of Travel and Tourism” report revealed that 86% of travellers prefer eco-friendly options and that environmental impact is a crucial consideration for every three out of four travellers.

While responsible travel is clearly top of mind, it can be hard to know how to put those good intentions into action. That’s where tours come in! Group tours are often the perfect way to see the world sustainably, with eco-friendly initiatives and responsible travel at the forefront for many tour operators.

Keep reading to learn more about what sustainable tourism is, why group tours are a fantastic option for responsible travellers and how tour companies are making a measurable difference today.

• What is sustainable travel and why is it important?
• Why are tours a more responsible way to travel?
• Sustainable tour companies making a positive impact around the world

Okay, so before we jump headfirst into the world of group tours and how they promote sustainability, let's first define what sustainable travel is and why it matters.

You've heard the phrase, take only memories, leave only footprints? This is a great place to start, but sustainable tourism goes even further than minimizing the negative effects of travel. It's about making sure your impact is positive — giving back to local communities in the short term, while also protecting and preserving the world's invaluable landscapes for future generations.

You can do this by contributing to local economies and businesses, supporting sustainable food production and wildlife conservation efforts, taking part in volunteer tourism, or simply booking with travel companies that are committed to waste reduction and sustainable development. Today, there are more ways than ever for travellers to accept environmental responsibility and travel more sustainably.

There are plenty of reasons to book a tour for your next vacation, from meeting like-minded travellers to getting assistance from local guides. But further than that, group tours are often a fantastic way to engage in more responsible travel practices.

Whether you’re interested in environmental conservation, community-based ecotourism or cultural preservation, here are some of the ways that a tour ensures you feel good about your next trip.

From family-run guesthouses and small independent businesses to word-of-mouth restaurants showcasing local ingredients and authentic flavours — there are some things you just won't find in a guidebook! Rather than spending your hard-earned money on fast food and big global chains, guided tours are a great way to engage in community-based tourism with a true economic benefit on local people and communities.

Look for travel companies that employ local guides, partner with Indigenous communities and participate in activities that celebrate cultural heritage. Not only will your trip be more enriching and meaningful, but you'll be supporting economic development for the local communities that call your vacation destination home.

Want to see this in action? G Adventures implemented the Ripple Score back in 2018 to indicate how much money remains local when a traveller purchases one of their tours. On average, an impressive 92% of the money spent in-destination to run their tours currently goes to local businesses and services within the community.

One of the biggest challenges facing responsible travellers is finding ways to reduce and offset your carbon footprint. Just as travelling slower and minimizing flights as much as possible helps to cut down on your carbon footprint, tour buses are a much more sustainable mode of transport than individual vehicles and inefficient itineraries. In fact, tour buses are among the most climate-friendly transport options around, producing a fraction of the carbon emissions per traveller compared to individual cars.

Leading sustainable travel companies like Intrepid, Exodus Adventure Travels and 50 Degrees North have introduced transparent carbon labels on a growing number of their tours, allowing travellers to calculate their equivalent carbon emissions. Other tour operators are also actively working towards net zero targets by partnering with projects committed to fighting climate change and preserving natural resources through reforestation, waste reduction or by utilizing solar power.

Bucket-list safaris in Africa, exotic jungle sanctuaries in Costa Rica, diving experiences in Thailand — tours invite us to participate in all sorts of wildlife encounters, and it can be difficult to ascertain which ones are ethical and which ones aren’t. This is where tour companies can help you be a more responsible traveller and make a informed decision.

Many tour companies have their own animal welfare policies in place to ensure the experiences they're selling adhere to strict ethical standards and practices, while at the same time giving back to environmental preservation efforts and raising awareness for visitors about the importance of protecting the world's wildlife.

You can also check reputable not-for-profit organizations and resources such as the World Animal Protection to find out which travel companies are publicly committed to supporting ethical wildlife experiences around the world.

Many leading tour operators have sustainable practices woven into their DNA, so by booking travel with them you'll be contributing to the various sustainability strategies these companies already have in place. This might include nature-based solutions projects, environmental education, net-zero greenhouse gas targets and science-backed climate change initiatives.

Supporting sustainable travel companies can be a great way to get involved and contribute to projects making a real-world difference on a larger scale than many of us can achieve as individuals. Just make sure you do your research before choosing which tour operator to travel with and look for companies that are transparent about their sustainability strategies.

It's one thing to talk the talk but quite another to walk the walk! These sustainable travel companies are leading the way when it comes to responsible tourism, taking the ideas above and turning them into actionable strategies dedicated to doing good all over the world.

A long-time leader in environmental sustainability, Intrepid has been carbon neutral since 2010 and has a transparent climate action plan in place. In 2025, Intrepid reevaluated their focus on the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and carbon offsetting, pivoting to an accelerated decarbonization plan and a AUD$2 million Climate Impact Fund aimed at cutting emissions rather than offsetting them.

The organization also runs the non-profit Intrepid Foundation. Since 2002, this initiative has raised over AUD$20 million and positively impacted over 160 community partners globally.

In addition to a robust Climate Action Plan and their 5-year How We Tread Right sustainability strategy, every Trafalgar tour itinerary includes the company's signature MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experiences.

These experiences are carefully selected with both travellers and communities in mind, allowing for unique, enriching and mutually beneficial exchanges. Some examples of MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experiences include:

• Biodynamic wine tastings and a farm-to-table feast in Portugal
• A paper-making workshop celebrating local cultures and traditions in Japan
• Geothermal energy production at Hellisheidi power station in Iceland
• Ecology of the Highlands and discovering Gaelic heritage in Scotland

In 2021, Globus founded the Lighthouse Project, an initiative that allows the brand to partner with and shine a light on organizations focused on reforestation, wildlife conservation, protecting national parks and caring for local communities.

Globus has also put an animal welfare policy in place based on World Animal Protection requirements. This means any travellers joining one of their tours can be sure that they're engaging in ethical wildlife experiences, as opposed to cruel animal encounters that cause harm to local animals and environments.

With a focus on community-based tourism, G Adventures ensures the people and places they visit on their tours are directly benefitted. In 2021, the company signed the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, an UN-backed commitment to halving carbon footprints by 2030 and achieving net zero before 2050.

G Adventures also partners with Planeterra, a not-for-profit dedicated to elevating community-based tourism practices around the world, and has pledged to plant a tree for every day you're on tour with them. Since its introduction in 2023, this reforestation project has planted an impressive 3.8 million trees... and counting!

From carbon reduction to preserving biodiversity and wildlife conservation efforts, Exodus Adventure Travels' Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan outlines the company's ongoing sustainability strategy.

As part of this strategy, the tour operator is dedicated to “rewilding” 100 square metres of the Italian Apennines per passenger. They've also partnered with the Blue Marine Foundation, supporting the restoration of over 55 hectares of blue carbon habitat and the planting of 60,000 mangroves and seagrass seedlings.

Ready to embrace sustainable travel through tours? Book your next vacation or ask your Travel Expert to help you find a responsible travel experience today.